Ashton is co-founder and Chairman of the Board of A Plus, where he leads strategic partnerships with brands and influencers. He is a renowned technology investor and in 2009 became the first Twitter user to reach 1 million followers. A Plus reflects the convergence of his interests in media, technology, and social platforms.

Elana Sofko joined Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment in 2016 as the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Distribution. Ms. Sofko brings over two decades of media and entertainment experience, always on the leading edge of innovation. Prior to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Ms. Sofko focused on a range of digital business growth initiatives for WWE, including International expansion and localization of WWE’s digital properties as well as supporting the launch and international expansion of WWE Network, a subscription based video over-the-top (OTT) service. Ms. Sofko worked on the launch of satellite radio as part of the start-up team at the company now called SiriusXM, and has overseen strategic growth initiatives at ESPN, Nokia, News Corp and A&E Television Networks. Ms. Sofko earned a B.A. in English Literature from the State University of New York at Albany, and an M.B.A. from University of Connecticut, which included a semester in China at Peking University. Ms. Sofko’s qualifications include worldwide experience in distribution, monetization, digital tech and products, business and corporate development.

Kim is a native New Yorker and has been in advertising for 10 years. She started in video game marketing and transitioned into sales for sports, entertainment, and children's cross platform advertising. Kim is a Sagittarius and a graduate of Loyola Maryland, where she fell in love with a capella and karaoke.

About 5 years ago, Liza, a Texas native, walked away from law and into digital media. She started her media career in mobile rich media at Medialets and transitioned into digital sales at USA Today and Martini Media where she has worked closely with Beauty, Tech, Auto, CPG and Luxury brands on many native and 1st-to-market campaigns. Liza loves running in Central Park, the San Antonio Spurs, eating copious amounts of cheese, all shows from Masterpiece Classic and is a staunch believer in the A Plus mission. Liza is a graduate of University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary's University School of Law.

Brianne currently lives in Chelsea NYC and is originally from Connecticut. She comes to A Plus from Turner Sports where she worked in both digital ad ops and sales over the past 4 years. She is most importantly obsessed with dogs!

Alex was born and raised in Merrick on Long Island and currently is living in New York City. He came to A Plus from Paste Magazine, and Discovery Communications before that working in both the TV and the digital arenas. He is a huge New York sports fan, loves pizza, travel, swimming, and dogs.

Shannon comes to A Plus from Fox Sports Media Group. She was raised in Southern California and made the crazy decision to move to New York 4 years ago. She grew up playing competitive tennis and was a member of her college team at USC. In her free time, she enjoys running, listening to live music, and exploring her West Village neighborhood.

Shannon was born, raised & currently living in Breezy Point, NY (a.k.a the Irish Riviera). She graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn with a B.A. in Communications, with a concentration in Digital Media. She comes to A Plus from Turner Sports, where she spent over a year-and-a-half working within the digital account service/revenue operations department. She loves the beach & is completely obsessed with her dog, Andy.

Emma is an alum of The College of New Jersey where she earned her BFA in Graphic Design. She got her start in the magazine industry working for Seventeen Magazine and Reader’s Digest and has since enjoyed working in digital media. She’s obsessed with music and passionate about all things beauty related!

Cate Matthews is an erstwhile Ohio University English major who made the transition into viral journalism via a stint as an Associate Editor at The Huffington Post. There she ranked among the top ten most viewed writers, bringing in as many as 30 million page views a month. She also won a spelling bee once in middle school, which she thinks is pretty cool.

Joel Lyons is a journalist who has covered music, entertainment, lifestyle, diversity, technology and other topics during various full-time stints and freelance gigs. His work has been seen in 944 magazine, Black Enterprise, the New York Daily News, NY1 News, SoulBounce.com, SoulTrain.com, DJZ.com, JackmasterRadio.com, AppStorm.net, among others. The Phoenix transplant—who now proudly reps Astoria, Queens—has a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Arizona State University and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri - Columbia.

Sarah Barness is an editor for A Plus and former trends and digital innovation editor for The Huffington Post. In 2014, she was ranked among the top ten most viewed writers sitewide for HuffPost, and was listed in the top 20 most viewed writers on the Web by MediaMetric. Sarah is a UC Berkely graduate with degrees in rhetoric and communications and has a passion for telling stories. When she is not working on her Sci-Fi novel or scouring the Internet for the latest trends, she is playing the banjo as her St. Bernard stands by, drooling.

Abby Rogers is a proud University of Missouri-Columbia Journalism School graduate who comes to A Plus from Fusion and Al Jazeera America. Before landing in New York she covered politics and justice in Missouri, Maryland, Virginia and California. Now she lives in a tiny New York apartment with her boyfriend and her very demanding cat.

Logan is a graduate from the University of Missouri where she got her start in online video. She hosts and produces videos on topics from news to lifestyle as well as viral content. Her work has appeared on Mashable, AOL, Weather.com, Newsy and more. When she isn’t editing, she’s busy trying to make her dog an Instagram star.

​Danutė holds a Master's degree in Marketing and a Bachelor's in Communication from universities in Denmark, Lithuania and South Korea. Prior to A Plus, Danutė spent several years fashion blogging in Paris and working as a business developer for a marketing agency in London. Danutė speaks 5 languages and has experience with content marketing, branding and entrepreneurship, including consulting the Prime Minister's Office of Lithuania, featuring her pieces on Creative Bloq, the UK's top design site, and co-founding a fashion label. Originally from Lithuania, she is now based in New York.

Isaac Saul is a University of Pittsburgh graduate where he majored in non-fiction writing and got his journalism start as the sports editor for The Pitt News. He is the host of our weekly Facebook live show 'A Grain of Saul' and author of a weekly column you can find on A Plus every Tuesday. Isaac has written from Israel, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Singapore, West Texas and Alaska, among others. His work has appeared on CNN, The Huffington Post, The Daily Mail, Medium and more. You can follow him on Twitter @Ike_Saul

Claire graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a dual major in Non-Fiction Writing and Communications. After graduation, Claire worked as an Assistant Editor at Guest of a Guest where she helped produce the site’s “You Should Know” series and covered fashion, art, and social events throughout New York City. Claire’s writings have been published on Guest of a Guest, VERVE Social Magazine, A Plus, and more.

Ariana Marini is a writer based in New York. She graduated summa cum laude from Emerson College where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in just two years. Her previous experience includes Scholastic, NOVA, Everyday Health, and Mechanical Engineering magazine. She enjoys writing nonfiction, reading fiction, and watching standup comedy.

Clarissa-Jan Lim is an associate editor on the A Plus Trends Team with experience in news, politics and trending stories during her time at Bustle and her work on local Manhattan news. She is a born-and-bred Malaysian, is native to three languages and has a BA in journalism from SUNY Purchase.

Emily Becker is an associate social media editor for A Plus with experience in covering entertainment and culture and writing the occasional listicle. She graduated from the University of Missouri and made her way to Brooklyn by way of a two-year stint as a volunteer with the Peace Corps in western Africa. She is a proud native of Kansas City and maintains it is the definitive home to the best barbecue in the world.

Melissa is a CUNY College of Staten Island graduate where she majored in cinema productions. After college she worked on developing projects with local filmmakers and making the leap to creating video for social media. Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post and Richmond City Media. She enjoys dragging people to see independent films and has an uncanny ability to quote Mel Brooks movies.

Lindsay Geller writes branded content, lifestyle, and entertainment articles, as well as the occasional all-too-personal personal essay, for A Plus. She graduated summa cum laude from Emerson College with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, emphasis in creative nonfiction. She enjoys quoting Gilmore Girls to her cat, having a torrid love affair with peanut butter, and reading biographies of female sovereigns for inspiration.

Carson Blackwelder is an associate editor at A Plus for the Arts and Entertainment section. He was born and raised in North Carolina and graduated from the UNC-Chapel Hill in 2013 where he majored in both journalism and English literature. Before joining A Plus, he worked at Wetpaint.com for three years before going freelance and contributing to IMDb.com, InStyle.com, ScottFeinberg.com, and others. Carson currently resides in New York City with his husband and beloved Netflix account.

Born and raised in New York, Marielle is a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a B.A in Communications. She comes to A Plus from a television PR Agency. Growing up, Marielle tackled the world of acting and appeared in commercials, print ads, and television spots. Her favorite food is candy and she can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a snack in between.